Saturday, June 26, 2010

IRRI
and AfricaRice jointly launched the Japan-funded project on “Developing the
next generation of new rice varieties for Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast
Asia.” The eastern and southern African launch of this project took place on 24
Apr 2010, in Kirundo Province of Burundi.

The
launch was attended by scientists from IRRI, AfricaRice and 38 national
research and extension partners from nine east and southern Africa countries
(Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania,
and Uganda.)

The
overall aim of the project is to accelerate the development and deployment of
the next generation of elite rice varieties for major production systems in
sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, where poverty is prevalent and the risk
of food shortage is high.

The
project has the following three objectives:

Accelerate the development of
high-impact varieties in SSA and Southeast Asia

To
ensure delivery of products well-accepted by farmers and consumers, this
project aims to establish a network of NARS breeders in sub-Saharan Africa and
Southeast Asia that would constitute an Africawide Breeding Task Forces to
develop the next generation of rice varieties in both regions of the world.

This
project will allow IRRI and AfricaRice to rebuild rice breeding capacity at the
national level in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia and pursue a systematic
collaborative approach to rice breeding that will greatly shorten the time
needed to develop new varieties. Delivery of varieties will also be accelerated
through streamlining and harmonizing of varietal release procedures across the
regions.

The
regional launch of this project in West Africa took place in Segou, Mali, 23-26
Jun 2010.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

East
Africa and mainly the Great Lakes region are among the most vulnerable regions
to climate change in Africa. Studies indicate that climatic change will induce
increasing temperature and declining rainfall in East Africa with frequent
periods of drought which may intensify crop disease occurrence and severity.
Also by impacting on both pests and host plants, climate change may enable some
pests and diseases to expand beyond their current locations.

Research
results are expected to lead to the development of rice varieties resistant to
strains of blast and bacterial leaf blight in the region and of rice management
practices adapted to climate change. Breeders will directly benefit because of
greatly improved knowledge of pathogen strains and related rice resistance
genes and alleles.

Results
will be used to determine the likely impact of climate change on rice disease
occurrence and severity, develop recommendations for farmers to adapt crop
management practices reducing the risk of disease related yield loss, and guide
breeders in development of climate proof, disease resistant rice varieties for
different rice production situations.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

As
part of its annual evaluation of 15 international Centers belonging to CGIAR)
based on performance-linked measurements, the World Bank announced in Jun 2010
that it has rated AfricaRice as 'Outstanding,' in the 2009 Performance
Measurement exercise. This is the highest of three performance categories.

The
assessment was based on a number of criteria that included results, impacts,
quality and relevance of the Center’s research and publications, financial and
institutional health, and stakeholder perceptions.

The
Performance Measurement System (PMS) is a regular annual feature in the CGIAR
monitoring and evaluation system, which provides Centers with a barometer to
better gauge their own performance and demonstrate accountability and
transparency to their stakeholders. The World Bank uses the performance
measurement data as a guideline for allocating part of its funding to the
Centers.

Earlier
this year, the Director General, Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck, and the staff of
AfricaRice were congratulated by the Board of Trustees for placing the Center
on a path of continuous growth as a result of the following achievements:

Doubling of the Center’s budget
in 2010 compared to 2007, with a significant rise in fund reserves;

Increase in recovery of
contributions from African member States, which now collectively rank as
the number one core donor of the Center;

High rate of accession to
membership of the Center by African countries in the period 2006-2010 than
ever before;

Large number of exciting
research projects addressing major challenges of rice in Africa, including
climate change;

Close partnership with national
programs, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and advanced
research institutions;

International recognition such
as the Agricultural Merit Order of France and the Merit Order of Senegal
presented to the Director General, the CGIAR’s Outstanding Communication
and Young Scientist Awards to AfricaRice researchers.

Warmly
congratulating the AfricaRice staff for their dedication and performance,
Director General Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck said, “This is a great achievement, but
we consider this as just the beginning of our journey towards our goal. So we
cannot rest on our laurels.”

Dr
Seck also expressed his deep appreciation to all the donors and R&D
partners of AfricaRice, particularly the national programs, which work hand in
hand with the Center to boost rice production and rural development in Africa.

AfricaRice headquarters is based in Côte d’Ivoire. Staff are located in Côte d’Ivoire and also in AfricaRice Research Stations in Benin, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. For more information visit: www.AfricaRice.org

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

Its research is carried out by 15 CGIAR Centers in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. www.cgiar.org